“Ginger is now being harvested in China. However, the harvest has been affected by heavy rain. Volume is smaller, and quality also suffered because the ginger was wet for too long,” says Sophie Ye of import company KX Food. “This year, the ginger has to be sorted extremely carefully before it can be exported. We’ll only work with ginger of very high quality.” The rain also affects the price of ginger. “Prices of ginger are nearly 30 per cent higher than last year as a result of the lower volumes and quality problems.”
Organic
China is still the largest ginger producing country in the world. Besides China, Peru is another major player on the market for organic ginger. “We’ve seen Peru planting more organic ginger, but that trees are being cut down for this. Major companies decided to get their ginger in China for this reason, after all, felling trees isn’t exactly organic,” Sophie says. KX Food has seen demand for ginger increasing every year, and particularly for organic ginger. “Normally, demand for ginger increases in winter, but we’ve noticed the market has been delayed due to the warm weather, and demand is a bit slower as well.”
Drying ginger
Purple sweet potato
“We’ve now imported purple sweet potato for some months, and demand is rising. Prices have also risen, and we’ve decided to supply purple sweet potato year-round, because we feel the product is getting more and more popular,” Sophie continues. The most important sales markets for purple sweet potatoes are the Southern European countries and Germany and Scandinavia. “In Belgium, demand isn’t as big yet, although we are seeing a slightly increasing line in demand. It’s as if everything is slower in Belgium.”
Chestnuts
The chestnut is another product getting attention from KX Food this year. “This year, we’re importing large-sized chestnuts. We currently have European chestnuts, and late October the Chinese ones will start arriving. Demand for chestnuts always peaks between Christmas and New Year’s, and the most important sales markets are Eastern Europe, Germany and Scandinavia. Compared to last year, prices for chestnuts are nearly 20 per cent higher this year. One of the biggest reasons for this price rise is increasing demand. It’s fun to see that demand for special products has been growing in recent years,” Sophie concludes.
For more information:
Sophie Ye
KX Food
Kleine Veerle 103
2960 Brecht - Belgium
+32 3326 87 54
info@kxfood.be
www.kxfood.be